During down hill skiing, the skis for the most part are kept beneath the body with the feet flat against the skis. During down hill skiing there must be a minimum of relative movement between the ski boot and the skis, so that the skis will turn laterally with the foot, and so that the skis will be held flat against the foot should the skis leave the ground. It goes without saying of course that there must be no front to rear slippage during any such movements.
In cross country skiing, the skis are alternately moved from a position behind the body to a position forward of the body similar to the movement which occurs during walking. During such movement the heel will be flat against the ski when it is forward of the body, and will lift off of the ski as it moves rearwardly of the body.
In one type of commonly used cross country ski binding, the toe of the boot is clamped to the ski in a manner permitting the boot to flex at the ball of the foot and the heel to lift off of the ski. These clamps usually, after a period of time, permit sufficient relative rotation between the boot and ski to result in poor lateral and or vertical control of the ski.
In another type of commonly used cross country ski binding, the toe of the boot is strapped to the ski; and with such an arrangement, the straps gradually flex and yield to permit a relative rotation that may result in even poorer ski control than is provided by the above described clamp arrangement.
I am aware of a prior art patent that teaches a vertical plate on the ski for abutment by the rear of the boot to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the boot and ski. I am further aware that it teaches locking means between such a rear plate and the rear of the boot; so that when the skier approaches a down hill run, he can lock the ski and boot together. This and other arrangements with which I am aware suffer from a number of deficiencies, such as trapping snow against the vertical heel plate which is then compacted as the heel comes down onto the ski during cross country skiing. This compacted snow must be removed periodically to allow proper foot movement during cross country skiing, and must also be removed before the boot can be locked onto the ski for down hill skiing. In addition, the mechanisms of which I am aware must be locked and unlocked anytime a transition is made between down hill and cross country skiing.
An object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved system for attaching skis to ski boots in such manner that unimpaired leg movement is had during cross country skiing and good lateral control is had during down hill skiing.
A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved system of the above described type wherein the problem of snow accumulation between the boot and ski is greatly minimized.
A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved system of the above described type wherein transition between down hill and cross country skiing can be made without unlocking the ski from the boot.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved system of the above described type wherein the boot and ski can be locked together to completely prevent compaction of snow between the boot and ski when snow conditions are such that compaction can be prevented in no other way.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates from the following description of the preferred embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification.